Woodstock Returns for 50th Anniversary Celebration
by Justine Browning
Jan. 9, 2019


The Woodstock Music & Arts Fair is returning 50 years after the iconic concert series first kicked off. The anniversary celebration, which will be held over three days from Aug. 16-18 in Watkins Glen, N.Y. is being organized by festival co-founder Michael Lang.

“It’s time to put the speculation to rest and officially announce that Woodstock 50 is happening,” Lang said in a statement. “The original festival in ‘69 was a reaction by the youth of the time to the causes we felt compelled to fight for — civil rights, women’s rights, and the antiwar movement, and it gave way to our mission to share peace, love, and music. Today, we’re experiencing similar disconnects in our country, and one thing we’ve learned is that music has the power to bring people together.

So, it’s time to bring the Woodstock spirit back, get involved, and make our voices heard.”





The last Woodstock festival took place in 1999. That event was famously marred by reports of mismanagement, unsanitary conditions, and sexual assault.

The issues mounted when candles handed out during the final set featuring the Red Hot Chilli Peppers led a fire (and subsequent riot) to break out. In the aftermath, 44 arrests were made while 10,000 attendees sought medical treatment.




Though an official lineup has yet to be announced, Lang reveals the acts set to take the stage will be “primarily contemporary talent, but the legacy acts will be represented and honored.”

The festival’s setup will consist of three main stages and will feature over 60 performers across rock, hip-hop, pop, and country. A limited number of discounted pre-sale tickets will be available to college students ages 18-25 at the end of January, with general on-sale information will be announced over the coming weeks.



The showcase will coincide with another Woodstock commemoration in Bethel Woods, N.Y., where the event debuted in 1969.

Held during the same weekend, it will feature a soon-to-be announced lineup of live music performances and TED-style talks “from leading futurists and retro-tech experts” (sure, why not?).

https://ew.com/music-festivals/2019/01/09/woodstock-50-anniversary-celebration/

Jay-Z, Miley Cyrus, Halsey Among Woodstock 50 Headliners
by Tyler Aquilina
March 21, 2019


Three more days of peace, love, and music are on the way–and they’re going to be jam-packed. On Tuesday, the Woodstock 50 Music and Arts Fair announced its official lineup, which reads like a veritable who’s who of modern pop music.





Performers will include:

The Killers
Miley Cyrus
Halsey
Run the Jewels
The Head and the Heart
Akon
Chance the Rapper
The Black Keys
Greta Van Fleet
Leon Bridges
Gary Clark Jr.
Jay-Z
Imagine Dragons
Janelle Monáe
Common
Cage the Elephant
Vince Staples





What’s more, some of the performers from the original Woodstock festival will be taking the stage again, such as Santana, Canned Heat, John Fogerty, David Crosby (who performed at the original event with Creedence Clearwater Revival and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, respectively), and Dead and Company, the current incarnation of the Grateful Dead that features John Mayer.

“We’ve lined up artists who won’t just entertain but will remind the world that music has the power to bring people together, to heal, to move us to action and to tell the stories of a generation,” Michael Lang, producer of Woodstock 50 and a co-founder of the original festival, said in a statement.

“Our hope is that today, just as in 1969, music will be the constant that can inspire positive change.”

https://ew.com/music-festivals/2019/03/19/jay-z-miley-cyrus-halsey-woodstock-50-headliners/

and Dead and Company, the current incarnation of the Grateful Dead that features John Mayer. Smile Smile Smile